Saturday, July 19, 2014

The films we watched in week 3 and 4 are available at the following URL:

The life of an American fireman: Edwin S. Porter (1903):
This was the movie which can be considered as the birth of 'editing' as an art.
Edwin S. Porter was working with Edison. He created this film primarily using stock images of firemen.
To these Porter added some sequences specially shot for the purpose of advancing the narrative.



The great train robbery: Edwin S. Porter (1903):


You see the evolution of the editing technique in this film.
Many things are done for the first time.

Jump-cut or cross-cut:
Cross-cut is used to show events that take place at the same time but in different places

Pan shot: 
In panning you move the camera horizontally to follow a moving subject.

Ellipsis
Once the telegraph operator is woken up, you jump cut to the dance hall.
The dance routine has no role in the narrative except for easing the tension, and providing some novel entertainment.
Once he  recruits people in the dance hall, you see them directly following the bandits.

This omission of time between 2 events is called ellipsis.

Use of a Dummy
The fireman being shot was a dummy


Saturday, June 21, 2014

Friday, June 20, 2014

Week1- Assignment

Understanding Cinema- Fall'2014

Week1- Assignment

Q1.

Make groups of 2 (maximum 3).
Each group will film a minute of material in the manner of the Lumière Brothers.

The shot will be from a fixed position, lasting one minute and include the sounds recorded on
location at the time of filming. The minute can be filmed either indoors or outdoors.
Chose a place, a subject, a moment and record it, with out influencing anything in the shot.
(no observer effect like you saw in the original Lumière films)
You must NOT edit the clip.

Upload your clips in the folder: https://drive.google.com/#folders/0BxgNT_KzuZBiUGRkZ1JkRk9UWHc

Send an email to me at tapan.khopkar@gmaill.com with the following details:
The email MUST have the following in the subjectline: SOAC14

File Name
Participant 1 Name, Participant 2 Name, (Participant 3 Name- if required)

Q2.

Watch the films made by Lumiere brothers and George Melies as per the URLs posted on the course blog.
Compare the two Masters on the following parameters (in less than 200 words):
- Camerawork
- What emotions do they evoke?
- What is their impact on modern cinema

Email me your answers (The email MUST have the following in the subjectline: SOAC14)

Due date:

28/6/2014, by 12 noon

Welcome

Welcome to 'Understanding Cinema', Fall 2014, AIKTC-SOA.
This is an elective course at AIKTC-SOA. 

We strive to build an understanding and appreciation for cinema through the study of:
- History of cinema
- Elements of cinema
- Film theory
- Cinematic movements
- Genres of  cinema
- Works of great directors
- Indian Cinema &  Bollywood
- Cinema and architecture
- Cinema in the age of Youtube

Instructor: Tapan Khopkar

The instructor would use this blog to post links to additional reading material, movies, discussions.
The students taking this course are encouraged to do the same.

Let's have fun, while we learn!